To reduce the invasiveness of surgical procedures, researchers have developed a new glue that can seal up heart defects in seconds -- and it stays tight under pressure.

Sutures take too much time to stitch, and staples can damage fragile heart tissue. But clinically approved surgical glues that are currently available can’t withstand the force of blood flow within heart chambers and major blood vessels. (You know, the same pressure that causes those arterial spray patterns seen on CSI and Dexter.)

Not to mention, these medical-grade superglues contain toxins, so they’re mainly only used on the skin, Technology Review explains.

This biocompatible new glue -- called hydrophobic light-activated adhesive (HLAA) -- can rapidly attach biodegradable patches in wet, dynamic conditions, like inside a beating heart. It could prove useful for medics on the battlefield as well as surgeons in the emergency room.

Since the adhesive patch is biodegradable and biocompatible, nothing foreign or toxic stays in the body.

When the researchers tested the glue on pig hearts, they found that the patch effectively created a watertight seal on holes in the heart and maintained its strong sticking power even in the presence of blood.

Although tests in humans are needed, these results hint at a practical new tool for tissue repair and for sealing open wounds quickly in trauma. The technology has been licensed to Paris startup Gecko Biomedical. The company expects to bring the adhesive to the market within two to three years.

Janet Fang has written for Nature, Discover and the Point Reyes Light. She is currently a lab technician at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University. She is based in New York.
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